The Speed of Dark
by Ninde158
Summary: Ino's shintenshin no jutsu leaves her vulnerable.  How to remedy this?  A blindfold.  Implied ShikaIno, if you squint.


_Author's Notes: This was originally intended to be part of 'Flowers in the Field' but got a bit long and thus is awarded its own berth. Credit for the title and prompt goes to List Eta over at 30kisses. Enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: Ah, if only. It'd be nice wouldn't it? Making all those ninjas dance to my bidding._

**The Speed of Dark**

High noon.

The two combatants faced each other across the field. Each waited for the other to make the first move.

Straining to hear her opponent's movements over the background noise in the meadow Yamanaka Ino blew out an impatient breath. If only she could s_ee_. She could sense Shikamaru moving to her left, still within range of Shintenshin no Jutsu, but how was she supposed to launch her attack when she couldn't pinpoint his location?

Damn Shikamaru and his higher than average IQ.

Damn Asuma and his 'good' ideas.

Damn this blindfold.

Yes, blindfold. "You need to develop Shinstenshin no Jutsu to the point where you can use it without having a visual lock on the target." Asuma had told her that morning. "Too often in battle you'll have to counterattack without actually having visual confirmation. Shintenshin no Jutsu is an impressive attack, but only if you can use it quickly and accurately."

"Kagemane no Jutsu!"

Hearing Shikamaru's voice not from her left as she'd supposed but from her _right_, Ino panicked. It briefly crossed her mind that he was announcing his attack out loud to give her some sort of warning. He didn't normally make it that obvious. Circling to face him she gripped a kunai, pulling back her arm to throw…

And froze.

"Kagemane no Jutsu is a success." Ino felt her hand release the kunai into the dirt, moving up instead to pull down the blindfold. Angrily blinking back the invading sunlight she glared at Shikamaru as he sauntered closer, her feet mirroring his exactly.

"How am I supposed to fight you if I can't sense you?" She complained as he released the technique. "This is impossible, you have too much of an advantage."

"Shadow techniques are actually weakest at this time of day." He reminded her. "Short shadows because of the sun position. That's why we're trying this now, remember?"

"I can't even hear you moving." She complained, "It's not like I can sniff you out like Inuzuka."

"You're not utilizing your most important resource Ino." They both turned to look at their teacher, who walked over from his spar with Chouji. "Forget about the five senses and focus on his chakra."

"Chakra?" Ino wiped sweat off of her forehead with the back of one grimy hand.

"Shikamaru is channeling a good amount of his chakra into those shadows to use his technique." Asuma nodded to the boy, "Even before he moves you should be able to sense where he is by feeling for his chakra supply. It'll be stronger closer to his body. That is the key to orienting yourself."

"Okay." Ino wearily retied the blindfold. "If you say so."

"Good." She could hear Asuma tap Shikamaru roughly in the head. "And none of this half-assed participation Nara, I want you to attack her."

"It'd be too troublesome if I hurt her…" Shikamaru began.

"That's what the sick bay is for." Asuma told him and she smelled it as he lit a cigarette. "Ino's not ever going to improve if you go easy on her. Now try again." He shuffled off.

Sweat poured down Ino's face as she concentrated. The key is the chakra, she reminded herself, if you can find the chakra concentration you can find Shikamaru. Her skin tingled as she sensed energy directly behind her. Taking a chance she twisted and let fly with a kunai. Before she heard it land she began to run forward, drawing her hands up to form the first seal.

The shadows caught her mid stride and she wheezed as the cessation of her forward momentum struck her squarely in the stomach. Shikamaru released her almost instantly and she collapsed winded to her knees.

"Damn it." She left the blindfold on and focused on breathing.

Shikamaru arrived next to her. "I told him this would happen."

"No!" She grabbed his pant leg before he could move away. "Try again."

"It's not working, my shadows attack much too quickly for Shintenshin to counter."

"Again." Ino pushed herself to her feet. "I felt you that time, didn't I? I was heading in the right direction."

She heard him sigh. "If you insist." He moved off.

Twenty minutes and three failed attempts later and even Ino was willing to give up. True, Shikamaru's chakra lines were become clearer to her, but after having the breath knocked out of her repeatedly, followed by her most recent failure at launching Shintenshin, her body was starting to fail her.

"I was so close." She grumbled, ignoring Shikamaru's hand as she struggled into a sitting position. "I _felt_ my consciousness bump into you that time."

"Yeah and then you took a good five minutes finding your body again." Shikamaru groused, looking worse for the wear after this last experience. "I'm running out of chakra as it is."

"You'll do it again." They both looked up at Asuma. "Once more Ino and this time Shikamaru I want you to throw two kunai before launching Kagemane."

"Asuma sensei!" Ino gaped at him, "Are you trying to kill me?!"

"I'm trying to keep you from _getting_ killed." He growled. "You're vulnerable with this attack Ino, and maybe this will teach you how to hide that weakness."

"But there's no chakra on the kunai!" She spluttered, "Even if I manage to find Shikamaru, I won't be able to avoid them as well!"

"Shikamaru won't be aiming for vital areas." Asuma told her, already moving back to watch, "And maybe a scar or two will be a good reminder for you."

"Figures I would get stuck with a sadist as a teacher." Ino muttered, gingerly planting her feet on the dusty ground. Then again, at least she didn't have Kakashi Hatake, might as well be glad for small blessings. Taking a deep breath she grabbed two kunai from her hip holster. "Ready."

Asuma's chakra signal pulsed like a heartbeat in the back of her mind. Shikamaru, his chakra weaker than their teacher's was approaching rapidly from behind her.

She had to move.

Ino back-flipped, hearing the first of Shikamaru's kunai whistle past her legs. Coming up from the flip she threw both kunai towards where she thought his hands were, hoping to disrupt his jutsu preparations. Deciding to forget about his second kunai, she threaded her fingers together and flashed through the seals.

"Shintenshin no Jutsu!"

Her mind floated free of her collapsing body and she willed it to move faster. If the shadows reached her body before she reached Shikamaru's mind this would be another failure.

Ino hated failing.

The blurred images racing past her floating consciousness told her she was closing in on Shikamaru. Bracing herself Ino centered on his eyes and _leaped_.

"Well?"

Ino opened Shikamaru's eyes, her smile spreading across his face. "Shintenshin no Jutsu is a success!" She cried, punching a triumphant fist into the air. "Ha ha! How's that for dealing with adversity Asuma sensei?"

"Well done Ino." Asuma grinned around his cigarette. "A bit shoddy on the maneuvering but a good job considering."

"What?" Ino glanced towards her real body. "What do you mean …?"

There was a kunai sticking out of her shoulder.

By the time Ino arrived back in her own body Chouji, Shikamaru, and Asuma were all looking down at her. Someone had removed the blindfold and kunai. Chouji was holding a compress over her wound.

"Ow!" Her nerve endings immediately assaulted her brain with delayed messages. "Shikamaru, what were you thinking? My shoulder?!"

"It's not a vital point." He muttered, eyes lowered. "Besides you moved right into it."

"As if I meant to do that." She snapped, catching Asuma's gaze she rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine, my fault. Next time though I'm gonna beat your shadows into the ground."

"Yeah sure." Shikamaru and Chouji helped her to her feet. "Let's go see Tsunade."

"You don't think I can? You just wait!"

"It was _noon_ Ino…"

Asuma's laughter followed the three off the training field.


End file.
